Theresa May qualified her promise to end austerity yesterday by claiming that she would not abandon “fiscal responsibility”.

She trod a careful course at prime minister’s questions as she vowed to ease spending limits while also saying that the party would not spend anything near as much as Labour, which she accused of wanting to add £1 trillion to the national debt with policies of higher spending and nationalisations.

Mrs May’s statement that she would end austerity — if she succeeds in securing a good Brexit deal — was the centrepiece of her conference speech in Birmingham but has worried the Treasury, where officials fear that it has raised expectations too high.

Jeremy Corbyn challenged Mrs May on the issue yesterday. He warned that her…

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